Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02723611 2010-12-03
DE-ICING LIQUID RECOVERY DEVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for recovering a liquid disposed on
a solid surface, and
more particularly to a de-icing liquid recovery device for recovering de-icing
liquid disposed on
airport runways and gate locations after de-icing of an aircraft.
2. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Icing of aircrafts is a serious problem in cooler climates and has resulted in
numerous aircraft
crashes killing a substantial number of passengers and air crew. Therefore, de-
icing of aircraft
prior to take-off has become a routine process at airports located in cooler
climates.
Typically, aircraft are de-iced using a de-icing liquid such as, for example,
a glycol/water
solution. However, de-icing liquids are generally environmentally unfriendly
and potentially
hazardous materials which have to be prevented from entering the ground or the
airport storm
water system.
Devices for recovering de-icing liquid disposed on the surface of runway or
gate location are
typically mounted on a truck and comprise either a vacuum system or a combined
vacuum -
forced recirculated air system connected to a pickup head which is moved over
the surface for
removing the de-icing liquid and other material such as, for example, slush,
sand, and dirt
disposed on the surface through suction. A cyclone system or other separation
system then
separates the de-icing liquid and the other material from the airflow produced
by the vacuum
system, or combined vacuum -- forced recirculated air system.
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Unfortunately, using state of the art equipment is generally inefficient in
its use of energy.
Furthermore, state of the art cyclone systems or other separation systems used
for separating the
de-icing liquid and the other material from the airflow cause substantial flow
restriction to the air
flow which has to be overcome by the vacuum system or combined vacuum - forced
recirculated
air system.
It is desirable to provide a pickup head for a de-icing liquid recovering
device having increased
utilization of the air flow for removing the de-icing liquid and the other
material from the
surface.
It is desirable to provide a separator for a de-icing liquid recovering device
having increased
efficiency by substantially reducing the flow restriction to the air flow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a de-icing
liquid recovering device
having increased utilization of the air flow for removing the de-icing liquid
and the other material
from the surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a de-icing liquid
recovering device having
increased efficiency by substantially reducing the flow restriction to the air
flow.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pickup
head for removing a
liquid disposed on a solid surface. The pickup head comprises at least an
input port for receiving
an airflow and a blower opening for providing the airflow to the solid
surface. A blower deflector
directs the airflow through the blower opening at an acute angle to the solid
surface. The airflow
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and an airborne portion of the liquid is received at a suction opening which
is in fluid
communication with at least an output port for being connected to a suction
device providing
suction. The received airflow with the airborne portion of the liquid is
provided through the at
least an output port. A divider is disposed between the blower opening and the
suction opening.
According to the aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a
device for recovering
a liquid disposed on a solid surface. The device for recovering a liquid
comprises a suction
device for providing suction to a pickup head and a blowing device for
providing an airflow to
the pickup head. The pickup head comprises at least an input port for
receiving an airflow and a
blower opening for providing the airflow to the solid surface. A blower
deflector directs the
airflow through the blower opening at an acute angle to the solid surface. The
airflow and an
airborne portion of the liquid is received at a suction opening which is in
fluid communication
with at least an output port for being connected to a suction device providing
suction. The
received airflow with the airborne portion of the liquid is provided through
the at least an output
port. A divider is disposed between the blower opening and the suction
opening. A separator is in
fluid communication with the suction device and the at least an output port of
the pickup head.
The separator provides suction to the at least an output port of the pickup
head, receives the
airflow and the airborne portion of the liquid and separates the airborne
portion of the liquid from
the airflow.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is yet further
provided a separator for
separating a liquid from an airflow. The separator comprises an input port for
receiving the
airflow containing the liquid, an output port for providing the airflow after
separation of the
liquid there from and at least two sets of baffles in fluid communication with
the input port and
the output port. The sets of baffles have different predetermined coarseness
and are disposed in
series such that the airflow successively encounters the sets of baffles in
order of decreasing
coarseness. A collector disposed below the sets of baffles collects the liquid
accumulated on the
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baffles through gravitational action.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides a de-icing liquid
recovering device
having increased utilization of the air flow for removing the de-icing liquid
and the other material
from the surface.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a de-icing
liquid recovering device
having increased efficiency by substantially reducing the flow restriction to
the air flow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure IA is a partial cutaway of a perspective view of a pickup head
according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 1 B is a simplified block diagram illustrating a cross sectional view
of the pickup
head according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 1 C. is a simplified block diagram illustrating another perspective
view of the
pickup head mounted on a glycol recycling vehicle according to a preferred
embodiment
of the invention;
Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a de-icing liquid recovery
device
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
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Figure 3A is a simplified block diagram illustrating a cross sectional top
view of a
separator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3B is a simplified block diagram illustrating a cross sectional side
view of the
separator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3C is a simplified block diagram illustrating a perspective view of a
set of baffles
of the separator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3D is a simplified block diagram illustrating a perspective view of the
upper
portion of the separator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 4 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a side view of a preferred
implementation of the de-icing liquid recovery device according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention
belongs.
Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described
herein can be used
in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and
materials are now
described.
The description of the preferred embodiments herein below is with reference to
a de-icing liquid
recovery device for use on a recycling vehicle of the type used at airports to
remove and recover
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typically a water/glycol solution - of relatively low concentration averaging
approximately 5%
over a season in some locations and seldom exceeding a 50% concentration -
used to de-ice
aircraft. However, it will become evident to those skilled in the art that the
embodiments of the
invention are not limited thereto, but are also applicable for recovering
various other
substantially non-flammable water based solutions which are disposed as a film
on a solid
surface.
Referring to Figures 1 A to 1 C, a pickup head 100 according to a preferred
embodiment of the
invention is provided, the pickup head 100 being adapted for removing a de-
icing or other liquid
disposed on a solid surface. The pickup head 100 comprises an input port 102
for receiving an
airflow and a blower opening 106 for providing the airflow to a solid surface
116. Blower
deflector 110 preferably directs the airflow through the blower opening 106 at
an acute angle
a to the solid surface 116 as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1B. The blower
deflector 110 is
preferably shaped such that the airflow is impacting on the solid surface at a
predetermined acute
angle a for atomizing a first portion of the de-icing liquid and rendering it
airborne. For
example, the surface of the blower deflector 110 is preferably curved as
illustrated in Figures 1 A
and 1 B or, alternatively, for example, may comprise one or more straight
surface portions
oriented such that the deflected airflow is impacting the solid surface at the
predetermined acute
angle a . The acute angle a and the corresponding blower deflector 110 are
determined, for
example, in dependence upon: the type of liquid; the size of the blower
opening 106; the mass
and the speed of the airflow; and the amount of liquid to be atomized; using
standard engineering
technology.
The pickup head further comprises output ports 104 for being connected to a
suction device
providing suction, as will be described herein below. The airflow containing
airborne de-icing
liquid is received through suction opening 108 and provided through the output
ports 104.
Divider 112 is disposed between the blower opening 106 and the suction opening
108. A bottom
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end 118 of the divider 112 is placed at a predetermined distance to the solid
surface 116 such that
the airflow between the bottom end 118 of the divider 112 and the solid
surface 116 has a
velocity that is sufficient for removing a second portion of the de-icing
liquid through shearing
action and rendering it airborne. A bottom portion 120 of the blower side of
the divider 112 and
the blower deflector 110 are shaped such that they form together with the
solid surface 116 a
nozzle, the orifice of which being the gap between the bottom end 118 of the
divider 112 and the
solid surface 116. The shape of the bottom portion 120 of the blower side of
the divider 112
together with the blower deflector 110 and the distance between the bottom end
118 of the
divider 112 and the solid surface 116 are determined, for example, in
dependence upon: the type
of liquid; the size of the blower opening 106; the mass and the speed of the
airflow; and the
amount of liquid to be rendered airborne; using standard engineering
technology. For example, in
a preferred design a speed of the airflow through the gap between bottom end
118 of the divider
112 and the solid surface 116 is approximately 300 mph with the gap being
approximately %
inch.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a suction deflector 114 is
provided,
preferably being placed and designed for deflecting the airflow with the
airborne portion of the
liquid received through the suction opening 108 towards the output ports 104.
Furthermore, in a
preferred embodiment the suction deflector 114 is shaped such that the airflow
emerging from
the gap between the bottom end 118 of the divider 112 and the solid surface
116 expands for
creating a low pressure zone which further causes a portion of the de-icing
liquid to become
airborne. For example, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
surface of the
suction deflector 114 is curved as illustrated in Figures 1A and lB or,
alternatively, comprises
one or more straight surface portions oriented such that the airflow is
deflected towards the
output ports 104. The shape of the suction deflector 114 together with the
suction opening 108
are determined, for example, in dependence upon: the type of liquid; the
amount of suction
available at the output ports 104; the mass and the speed of the airflow; and
the amount of liquid
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to be rendered airborne; using standard engineering technology.
A mechanism for reducing loss of the airflow of the pickup head 100 comprises
flat surfaces 122,
124 disposed beneath the suction deflector 114 and the blower deflector 110,
respectively, which
are oriented substantially parallel to the solid surface 116. The flat
surfaces 122, 124 have a
predetermined width and are disposed at a predetermined distance to the solid
surface 116. The
narrow gap - of, for example, approximately 1/2 inch - causes a substantial
restriction of the
airflow significantly reducing the loss of the airflow.
The pickup head 100 is, for example, mounted to the rear of a recycling
vehicle as illustrated in
Figure I C. A lift mechanism 128 - using, for example, a hydraulic cylinder -
enables raising and
lowering of the pickup head 100. During operation, the pickup head 100 is
supported using a
support mechanism such as, for example, casters 130 in order to place and keep
the pickup head
100 at a predetermined distance to the solid surface 116. Conduits connected
to the input port
102 and the output ports 104 comprise, for example, a section made of a
flexible material 126
such as, for example, a rubber or plastic material providing sufficient
flexibility to the conduits
for enabling raising and lowering of the pickup head 100.
It is noted that the pickup head 100 according to a preferred embodiment
comprises one input
port 102 and two output ports 104. As is evident to one skilled in the art,
the invention is not
limited thereto but various other numbers of input ports and output ports are
also employable.
It is further noted that the pickup head 100 is preferably moved parallel to
the solid surface 116
in the direction indicated by the block arrow in Figure 1B, but is of course
not limited thereto and
is also operable when moved in other directions parallel to the solid surface
116.
Referring to Figures 2 and 3A, a de-icing liquid recovery device 200 according
to a preferred
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embodiment of the invention is provided. The de-icing liquid recovery device
200 comprises a
suction device 202 for providing suction and a blowing device 204 for
providing an airflow 206
to the input port 102 of the pickup head 100, as described above. The suction
device 202 is, via
separator 300, in fluid communication with the output port 104 of the pickup
head 100 for
providing suction thereto. The separator 300 according to a preferred
embodiment of the
invention will be described herein below, but the de-icing liquid recovery
device 200 is not
limited thereto and other types of separators such as, for example, cyclone
type separators are
also employable. The airflow with the airborne de-icing liquid 208 is provided
to the separator.
300 for separating the airborne de-icing liquid from the airflow and for
collecting the separated
de-icing liquid 212. Preferably, the suction device 202 is in fluid
communication with the
blowing device 204, thus providing a closed circuit for circulating the
airflow from the suction
side to the blowing side.
Preferably, the de-icing liquid recovery device 200 is powered by a 150 to 200
hp diesel engine.
The diesel engine preferably powers a hydraulic pump - rated at approximately
150 hp or more
- which by way of a hydraulic motor drives an air blower - for example, a
centrifugal air blower
- which draws air on the suction side and pumps the air into the blowing side
of the closed
circuit. Of course, numerous other embodiments of powering the de-icing liquid
recovery device
200 will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Referring to Figures 3A to 3D, a separator 300 according to a preferred
embodiment of the
invention is provided. The separator 300 comprises input ports 302 for
receiving the airflow with
the airborne portion of the de-icing liquid. Deflector 304 deflects and
combines the airflows
received at the input ports 302. The airflow then encounters a set of flat
plates 306, preferably
oriented at an angle of approximately 45 to the airflow. The deflector 304
and the set of flat
plates 306 are dimensioned such that a substantial portion of slush and solid
particles such as, for
example, sand and dirt, as well as a first portion of the de-icing liquid
impact there upon and then
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fall into collector 314 positioned below the deflectors and baffles referenced
herein.
Alternatively, other types of elongated structures having various cross
sectional shapes - for
example, triangles or parallelograms - and oriented at an appropriate angle to
the airflow are
employed.
The airflow is then passed through two successive sets of baffles 308, 310
having different
predetermined and decreasing coarseness before being passed through output
port 312, as
indicated by the arrows. The deflector 304, the plates 306, and the sets of
baffles 308, 310 are
disposed in an upper portion of the separator 300 which progressively narrows
towards the
output port 312, as illustrated in Figures 3A and 3B. De-icing liquid, slush,
and solid particles
impact on the flat plates, deflectors and baffles and then fall into the
collector 314 through
gravitational action. Optionally, the collector is separated into two portions
with a first portion
collecting the material removed from the airflow by the deflector and the
plates 306 and a second
portion collecting the material removed from the airflow by the two sets of
baffles which
contains a smaller amount of slush and solid particles.
Preferably, the sets of baffles 308, 310 are shaped to form chevron like
channels for passing the
airflow there through, as illustrated in Figures 3A, 3C and 3D. Alternatively,
other types of
baffles such as, for example, flat plates - or other types of elongated
structures having various
cross sectional shapes such as, for example, triangles or parallelograms -
oriented at an
appropriate angle to the airflow are employed. Further alternatively a
different number - for
example, 1, 2, 3, etc - of sets of baffles are employed.
The deflector 304, the plates 306, the sets of baffles 308, 310, and the upper
portion of the
separator are designed, for example, in dependence upon: the airflow; the
suction; the type of
airborne materials; and the amount of airborne materials, using standard
engineering technology.
Proper design of the separator 300 significantly reduces airflow losses when
compared to
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comparable cyclone type systems.
Referring to Figure 4 a preferred implementation of the de-icing liquid
recovery device 200
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention a raised position is
illustrated mounted on
a standard boxless truck, but is not limited thereto and also mountable onto,
for example, a
trailer. In this embodiment, the separator 300 is pivotally movable mounted
216 to a rear portion
of the truck. A lift mechanism 218 - for example, a hydraulic cylinder - lifts
a front portion of
the separator 300 for disposing of collected material such as slush and solid
particles through rear
opening 224 with door 214 being pivoted using opening mechanism 222 such as,
for example, a
hydraulic cylinder. Conduits 220 connecting the output ports 104 of the pickup
head 100 to the
input ports of the separator 300 as well as the conduit connecting the output
port of the separator
300 to the suction device 202 comprise two portions which are mated in a
sealed fashion when
the de-icing liquid recovery device 200 is in operation and are separated when
the front portion
of the separator 300 is lifted as illustrated in Figure 4. The conduit
connecting the blower device
204 to the input port 102 of the pickup head 100 is placed on the truck below
the separator 300.
The present invention has been described herein with regard to preferred
embodiments. However,
it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations
and modifications can
be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
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